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391 lines
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sport
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football
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teams
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aston-villa
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8194684
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-----
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# Grard Houllier apology fails to ease Aston Villa turmoil
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## Gerard Houllier finally apologised to Aston Villa supporters for upsetting
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them with his undue reverence to Liverpool, and admitted he was "extremely
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concerned" about his team's abject defending and precarious league position.
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![Grard Houllier apology fails to ease Aston Villa turmoil][1]
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Unhappy return: Gerard Houllier was beaten on Liverpool return and he upset
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Aston Villa fans as well Photo: AFP
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[![Sandy Macaskill][2]][3]
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By [Sandy Macaskill][4] 11:00PM GMT 10 Dec 2010
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[Follow Sandy Macaskill on Twitter][5]
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But the [**Aston Villa**][6] manager failed to answer the key question after a
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week of unrest: are his players behind him as they head into a crucial local
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derby against [**West Bromwich Albion**][7] on Saturday?
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Villa are two points above the relegation zone without a win in five matches,
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and Houllier admitted that recent performances had revealed who he could rely
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on in the fight to stay out of the relegation zone.
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"The players are aware we are on an edge. In situations like these, you see
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there are players who are ready to go to war, and players who aren't. It is
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interesting, even for the future of this club."
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Houllier confirmed that he was forced to talk to James Collins who, as
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_Telegraph Sport _revealed on Friday, broke a curfew by visiting a nightclub
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hours before travelling with the rest of the team to Liverpool.
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The behaviour of such a senior player prompted questions about whether
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Houllier believed the players were behind him. He replied: "It is important
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that they are, for the club and for the fans."
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## Related Articles
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* [Villa v West Brom: match preview][8]
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10 Dec 2010
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* [A hierarchy of hostility][9]
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10 Dec 2010
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* [Houllier angered by Collins' nightclub visit][10]
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09 Dec 2010
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* [Lerner's No 2 defends under-fire Houllier][11]
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08 Dec 2010
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* [Houllier explains Liverpool comments][12]
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08 Dec 2010
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* [Houllier struggles to jump-start Villa][13]
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07 Dec 2010
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At times this week the Frenchman must have wanted to take cover under a tin
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helmet, the flak has been that heavy. The bombardment started with a backlash
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from supporters over his decision to wave at the home crowd and touch the
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'This is Anfield' sign in the tunnel before his team's 3-0 defeat at Liverpool
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on Monday night, and his initial failure to say sorry.
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"I was stunned by the reaction of the fans," he said. "That has been totally
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misinterpreted and if the fans are hurt by that then I'm sorry. If you want me
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to apologise, I apologise. Even if I don't feel I have done something wrong in
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terms of intentions."
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It got worse when General Charles Krulak, a confidant of Villa chairman Randy
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Lerner, managed to rebuke the 63 year-old and offer support in one online
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statement. Then Houllier was forced to cancel a trip to France in midweek so
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he could conduct several meetings with Lerner himself.
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Finally, a chest infection to Gabriel Agbonlahor and a groin injury for Luke
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Young ruled both men out of today's game.
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Houllier says the meetings with Lerner were "extremely positive", but his
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biggest concern now is not what his chairman or the fans think, but that his
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players' confidence is shot.
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Houllier criticised them for not possessing "the moral resources" to fight
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back during the Liverpool fiasco. If, as he suggested, "50 per cent of your
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game is how you handle it mentally", Houllier has serious problems.
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Asked who was going to fix their heads, he said: "You're talking about
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leadership in the changing room? I think it's a team thing. We have the
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talent, I think, and the character, I hope, to get there. Motivation plays an
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important part. Don't worry, we'll be fine."
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Following Martin O'Neill -- Mr Motivator himself -- was never going to be
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easy. Perhaps it is fortunate there is a local derby to help Houllier
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manufacture some spirit.
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This might not be the most explosive star in the West Midlands fixture
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constellation, but Houllier would be well advised to pretend otherwise.
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Anything to get the juices flowing.
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[X][14] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][15]
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* Share: [Share][14] [ ][16] [ ][17]
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[Tweet][18]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/aston-villa/8194684/Gerard-
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Houllier-apology-fails-to-ease-Aston-Villa-turmoil.html
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Telegraph
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## [Aston Villa][6]
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* ### [Sport »][19]
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* ### [Football »][20]
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* ### [Premier League »][21]
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* ### [Liverpool »][22]
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* ### [Football News »][23]
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Related Partners
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* [Aston Villa Tickets][24]
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In sport
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[![Follow Telegraph Sport on Twitter][25]][26]
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### [Follow Telegraph Sport on Twitter][26]
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[X][14] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][15]
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Share:
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* [ ][14]
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* [ ][16]
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* [ ][17]
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* [Tweet][18]
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* ## [Aston Villa Action Photos »][27]
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Aston Villa action photos: The best full-colour action images for Aston Villa
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Football Club.
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Advertisement
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![][28]
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## [Aston Villa »][29]
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[![Aston Villa][30]][6]
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[Aston Villa Fixtures][31]
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[Aston Villa Results][32]
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[Aston Villa Action Photos][27]
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[Aston Villa Players][33]
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[Aston Villa Statistics][34]
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[Aston Villa Tickets][24]
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Advertisement
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[PREMIER LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS »][35]
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Advertisement
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* [Engineering Jobs][36]
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* [Cars][37]
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* [Games][38]
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[1]:
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http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01783/houllier_1783196c.jpg
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[2]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01824/Sandy-
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Macaskill_60_1824325j.jpg
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[3]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/sandy-macaskill/
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[4]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/sandy-macaskill/ (Sandy
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Macaskill)
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[5]: http://twitter.com/sandydoessport
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[6]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/aston-villa/
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[7]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/west-bromwich-albion/
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[8]: /sport/football/competitions/premier-league/7943731/Aston-Villa-v
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derbies-the-hierarchy-of-hostility-between-Aston-Villa-West-Brom-Birmingham-
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City-and-Wolves.html
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[10]: /sport/football/teams/aston-villa/8192444/Gerard-Houllier-
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disciplines-Aston-Villa-defender-James-Collins-for-nightclub-visit.html
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[11]: /sport/football/teams/aston-villa/8190319/Randy-Lerners-No-2-defends-
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under-fire-Aston-Villa-manager-Gerard-Houllier.html
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[12]: /sport/football/teams/aston-villa/8188570/Aston-Villa-manager-Gerard-
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Houllier-forced-to-explain-comments-in-wake-of-defeat-to-Liverpool.html
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[13]: /sport/football/teams/aston-villa/8187669/Gerard-Houlliers-defeatist-
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attitude-fails-to-jump-start-struggling-Aston-Villa.html
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[14]: #
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[15]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/4590190/Share-this-
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%0A%0Ahttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/aston-villa/8194684
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